


I Want Wind to Blow

by zmiajas



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alphonse Elric is mentioned, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Gen, Greed doesn't die this time, I Guess??? If you'd like to call it that LOL, I don't ship GreedLing romantically or sexually soooooo LMFAO, If you couldn't tell this is platonic, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Near Future, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zmiajas/pseuds/zmiajas
Summary: There's sacrifice, there's hard feelings, there's broken waste... This time around, Greed keeps his word.
Relationships: Greed/Ling Yao
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	I Want Wind to Blow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avariciouz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avariciouz/gifts).



> This fanfiction was beta'd by my friend Krow over at "krow (benzo)" on AO3. As well, the title of this fic as well as various references made in the text are based on the song "I Want Wind to Blow" by The Microphones. To everyone else who reads this, including its recipient, Daniel, I hope you enjoy this! For any further contact or questions, feel free to message me @xingeses on twitter.

_ “Let’s fight ‘em together, hey, partner?” _

When you are surrounded by noise, it is ironically easy to find silence. Ling Yao is in the eye of the storm, able to ignore the swirling sea of bitterness that creates a cacophony via all angles. They don’t matter to him at this very moment; a cacophony is turned into a ringing, into a whisper, into nothing at all. There is only Greed and those sharp, wavering teeth, obscured by the layers of soul-static in which his core resides. For what is not their first time doing so, the prince of Xing and the prince of Ling share a smile.

“Lan Fan,” Greed calls out, while the very essence of his existence is on the verge of being whisked away into Father like an egg yolk into a bowl of undistinguishable flour. Lan Fan comes when she is called, her Yao instincts quickly carrying her to the scene despite her obvious discomfort with the deeper and heavier voice that occupies Ling’s throat. There is a flash of movement that is only trackable by the most well acquainted with her attack patterns (even the late Wrath took notice of her appropriately Xingese ninja speed), and then nothing. For a brief second or two, Father and Greed (Ling Yao watches from the aptly-named nosebleeds of Greed’s soul vortex) lock eyes. Greed, my son; Daddy, sir; the two are intertwined and yet so irrevocably different. Who would come out on the right side of history? Even nature seemed to be staring on in anticipation, for even the gentle breeze that was common in Amestrisian cities this time of year quieted into stillness.  _ I want the wind to blow,  _ Ling Yao thinks.  _ I want the wind to blow. _ And so, Ling Yao’s wish is granted: the wind returns, oak and aspen leaves whooshing above the courtyard while Father’s arm disintegrates into ash. There is no soul transfer, no killing of Greed today. There is only Father’s shock as he holds his arm in front of him shakily, clearly torn apart by his last remaining son’s betrayal. Even more of a betrayal is the brittleness that seeps into Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus’ body. 

“Just as me and you severed contact, Daddy, sir, I gave you a little parting gift. I hope you enjoy the soft taste of my Ultimate Shield… although, I may have neglected to harden it past anything equivalent to a pencil, ahaha!” 

“Greed, my son, why would you do this to your father!? What happened to you being so obedient, like before—”

Father is cut off by a harsh bark of a laugh, scathing and tingling with a fervish superiority. “Sorry, Daddy, Sir. Consider this a delayed rebellious streak, eh?” Greed jumps away then, leaving Ed to rush back in with a flurry of calculated punches that belie his emotional turmoil from losing his brother. Despite the damage he’s doing to Father’s continually softening body, Ling Yao notices his good friend’s pain, and switches with Greed to take control of the body they share. Earlier on in their relationship perhaps Greed would have scoffed and fought against the switch, but Greed understood. Greed did, in fact, understand Ling Yao and his thoughts as well as anyone could ever hope to. Ling Yao jumps off of the tree branch Greed previously retreated to, taking a step forward before shouting, “It’s okay, Edward! Focus on this fight right now! Al’s gonna be fine as long as you continue what you’re doing— don’t give up!” Edward doesn’t look in his direction, but his shoulders broaden just a little more, his fighting stance grounds itself just a little more. Just a little more is all Edward needs. Ling Yao, Greed, Lan Fan, and everyone else gathered at the scene gazes and gawks in triumphant awe. Edward pummels Father in his weakened state, punches him so hard that a gaping hole is evident in his graphite form. 

“This is it,” Van Hohenheim remarks. And so, this is truly it. Miniscule and innocuous black hands begin to snake out of the void that Edward has left in Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus— “You… you destroyed my Philosopher’s Stone,” Father remarks— but those hands quickly turn violent. They twitch and flail as their volume in numbers grows, wrapping around Father’s now-frail body and curling himself into a fetal position. Hohenheim thinks it is not too much different from the spherical form his Dwarf friend occupied so long ago. Greed on the other hand does not possess that intimate knowledge of Father’s history, but he thinks the pathetic pose suits his maker all the same. 

_ “I can’t believe I’m finally saying goodbye to Daddy, huh… we’ve been fighting him for so long now, and just like that it’s over. Ahaha! Not to say I didn’t have faith that all of my possessions wouldn’t achieve the outcome I expected of them, eh, kid?” _

_ “Mm… yeah. With all of this out of the way, I can finally go home back to Xing and fulfill the destiny I’ve been yearning for since my birth. I wasn’t going to stop at anything, not even your Father.” _

_ “Still haven’t forgotten your greedy l’il desires, huh? Hah! I knew you wouldn’t, Ling. Safe to say that once I felt those first pangs of avarice in your body, I was pretty convinced of your drive. I like decisive people.” _

Ling smiles to himself (Greed included).  _ “‘People’, huh? Who do you know that’s more decisive than me or you, Greed? If you had gotten any other body, you’d be toast for sure.”  _

_ “You’re right, Ling, but don’t go taking credit for all of my work! Not gonna let some idiot prince take the spotlight from me, the Emperor of Xing, am I?” _

The two laugh together closely, before their intimacy is broken up by a rush of noise. It’s a pop, a bang, the sound that accompanies something turning into nothing without any heed to the laws of nature. Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus, is gone. Now, it is only Greed who remains. The sole fruit who survived falling from the tree, now an artifact of an extinct species. He will carry his family name well. 

Time passes after the death of Greed’s father, with Greed himself taking a brief intermission inside of Ling Yao to reflect on his feelings and future. Ling Yao left him to it, not wanting to disturb him when he knew that Greed needed time to himself; ironic, considering the many crying souls that cornered his deep thought. Ling Yao rushed over to Edward after he sat down in exhaustion, peppered him with support and praise for the momentous victory he achieved. He would then get up, lie in wait with the other humans while Edward departed to the Gateway of Truth for his presumably last time. Ling Yao worried about what Edward would be missing when he returned back to Earth, but thankfully, nothing was lost. In fact, Edward returned with more than the sum of his parts. Al was back in a human body, emaciated and raw but undeniably  _ human. _ It was a sight to behold, for not only did Edward defeat the man who defeated God, but he defeated the rules of God as well. This victory was slightly soured when Ling Yao was told that Edward sacrificed all use of alchemy to revive Al, but Ling Yao let the bittersweetness roll off his tongue, down into the caverns where Greed still lay. Edward didn’t seem upset about the tradeoff in the slightest, so there was no reason for him to feel upset either. Time continued to pass. The wind continued to blow.

_ “Time for us to say goodbye to our ragtag little group of friends, ain’t it, Ling…” _

_ “Yeah. It’s sad to go so soon, but I can’t wait to go back to Xing. Not just because I miss all the easy-access food, though that’s a component, eheh! Mostly, I just want to get to work. I’m happy to lounge around and have fun, but knowing how much I have to do, how much I  _ need _ to do… it’s making me antsy being away.” _

_ “Mm, I understand. Felt the same way when I was chasing Pipsqueak and his crew around way back when. I enjoyed being with Roa and Martel and all of ‘em, but something about standing still has always bugged me the same way it bugs you. Can’t be the King of the World or the Emperor of Xing if we just stand around and smell the roses, can we?” _

_“In that way, we really are closer than we appear, huh, Greed? ...and I did notice that you called them friends. Can’t let any of your little sentimental moments slip away, right?”_ _  
_ Greed laughed, and if the two could tangibly interact in their soul-monologues, Greed would be playfully punching Ling Yao in the shoulder. _“I hope you remember ‘em, piss-ant! Can’t let my favorite little prince have me go soft on him right when the work is beginning.”_ The two laugh some more, breaking bread eternally inside of themselves next to an imaginative hearth.

Time continues to pass and fade away, forever beginning and ending in an Ouroboros-esque cycle. Greed had thought of the symbolism before, noting that the symbol that represented him was uniquely infinite and undying just like him. Greed was taking the backseat to allow Ling Yao to converse with Mei Chang as they crossed the desert. The two Xingese royals were on their way back to their home country, with Ling Yao carrying proof of immortality in his body as a means to ascend to his dying father’s throne. Mei Chang did not have that same kind of achievement from her time in Amestria, but she did have her stories, a prevailing crush, and the most powerful prince in Xing’s word. She had nothing to worry about. The two kids were having some typically kiddie discussion— something or another about what was the tastier food between the Chang’s traditional  _ baozi _ and Ling Yao’s mother’s  _ mapo doufu _ . Greed interrupted Ling Yao’s side of his friendly-yet-petty conversation by asking him a question internally. 

_ “Hey, kid. With me inside of you… are you gonna age normally, like Wrath? Or am I stunting your growth or something?”  _

Ling Yao pauses, sits up for a moment and gives his signature squinty smile to Mei Chang. “One moment, Mei! Greed wants to ask me something, and it seems pretty urgent. You can just say if you need me for anything, ‘cause I’ll still be here!” Ling Yao takes a deep breath, easing himself into the conscious difference between speaking out loud and only voicing your thoughts inside your head.  _ “Greed… I have absolutely no idea. And with Ed no longer performing alchemy, Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus presumed dead, and Hohenheim buried… I’m not sure if there’s anyone to tell us. Why do you ask? Something on your— er, our, mind?”  _

_“Our mind… interesting. And yeah, there is somethin’ I’ve been thinking about. If you age normally… What happens to me when you die? I know that if I get pulled out of you you’ll be fine, ignoring the emotional damage from losing the real Emperor of Xing,”_ Ling Yao chuckles at his fake triumph, _“but what happens to me when you pass? I’m just a soul in here. I’m tied to the stone, yeah, but I don’t have some kind of true form like Envy. If I leak out or somethin’, that’s the end of ol’ Greed.”_ _  
_ Ling Yao’s thin eyes are sympathetically creased, upset with his greatest friend (more than friend, even)’s worries. _“I see…”_ _  
__“I’m supposed to have all this power, but I’m not like all of you humans… well, most of you humans. I’m driven by my avarice, my cardinal sin. Homunculi like me don’t settle for human life, ‘cause we’re elevated in both amazing and . Even with the fact that we’re so close, Ling… Hell, ignore me, Ling. I’m Greed, after all! My avariciousness knows no bounds… guess those bounds don’t exclude wanting death, either.”_

_ “Is that so bad, Greed? Death is scary, sure, but there’s no sweat right now! We have so many years ahead of us, Greed. And we’ll be in power together. Hell, with the power we’re gonna have together, we could just eat ourselves into a food coma and—” _

_ “What’s gonna happen to me when I die, you think? Heaven? Aha! I’ll probably just crumble away into nothing after you, unless you have some kind of miracle plan to get me to the spirit in the sky, or whatever the hell you Xingese call God.” _

Ling Yao grimaces at a comment like that, makes an audible ‘tch’ as he realizes the truth ringing out in Greed’s words. Will his ashes be whooshed away into the sky with Ling to stay together forever, or would they settle onto the ground and stay there until the carbon atoms decay?  _ I want the wind to blow. _

_ “We’ll find a way, Greed. We’ll always find a way. Together.” _

_ “...I’m counting on you, kid.” _

Ling Yao brushes off the heavy conversation, trying to clear his thoughts and mind to make the desert journey back to Xing as enjoyable as possible. “So, Mei! We decided that the Yao family’s  _ Mapo  _ was the best, right?”   
  
  


Time continues to pass by, sands in the hourglass falling beneath the equilibrium. Mei Chang and Ling Yao reach Xing, reuniting with Lan Fan. She had gone ahead previously to clear way for his return and to set up a meeting with the Emperor, who now resided on his deathbed rather than his dais. On the other hand, while the three Xingese felt right at home, Greed was getting accustomed to a land in which he had never stepped foot in. Not only that, but having to assume control of Ling Yao’s body and explain to all of his homebound friends who his avaricious companion was was getting old. After a long day of listening to Ling Yao explain his findings to his father and listen to the Emperor’s praise, the two were accompanied home by Lan Fan. Clearly able to tell that her Young Lord needed some rest, Lan Fan opted to keep watch outside his palatial home.

_ “Just us chickens now, huh, Ling?” _

_ “Yep! Just us… I was afraid if Father kept droning on for any longer, I’d pass out from hunger.” _

_ “Hah! That sounds like you. Hell, you’re practically a bottomless pit. Ah, well, I’ll leave you to it! As far as greed goes, I don’t actually need food to survive, so I’ll just be listening to you stuff your face. Considering how well we get along, I’m sure Gluttony woulda liked you had he not been ordered to kill you.”  _

Ling Yao gave his signature fast-paced laugh before digging into a plate of  _ char siu _ , along with the various other things his retainers had fixed for him. Being a crown prince had its perks! Greed let him have his foodie fun, having spent enough time with him to understand how much a good plate could calm his nerves. Ling Yao wasn’t nervous, per se, but he was certainly high strung. With the Emperor’s health still steadily declining and Ling Yao receiving his blessing to succeed him, the work he needed to complete was growing and time was slipping away ever-so-quickly. After Ling Yao finished his meal, Greed decided to press the issue. He didn’t want his counterpart to feel stressed about his future, after all.

_ “Ah, Ling. Are you feeling better after a good meal? Knew you were nervous during that talk, so—” _

_ “I wasn’t nervous.”  _ Ling Yao’s tone hardens, his cat-eyes opening just a little bit wider to show his seriousness despite his conversation being unspoken.  _ “I was tense. I’m not nervous about my ambitions and goals. I’ve worked towards this for my entire life, Greed. I know how high the stakes are, but who would I be if I didn’t want everything I was capable of having? There’s no place in this world for people who aren’t willing to earn what they want.” _

Greed smiles on the inside of Ling Yao, guffawing at his deadpan avarice.  _ “Ah, now you’re speaking my language! Why were you tense, though? What else was on your mind than securing your spot as the next Emperor and allat?” _

Ling Yao’s lips curve upward to join Greed’s in contentness, smugly delivering his next line.  _ “Honestly? I  _ was _ tense about securing my next spot. I thought Father might just fall over and die on me before he was able to clear me for succession.”  _ The two sat together in silence for a moment, ruminating on Ling Yao’s remark, before bursting into laughter at the thought. The laughter eventually died down, when:  _ “Ah, Greed. You know, I think there’s a word for people like us.” _

_ “Oh? And what’s that?” _ _   
  
  
_

_ “Soulmates.”  _ Outside, where Lan Fan is stationed, the wind blows. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, Compliments and Criticism are duly appreciated! Thank you again for reading my work.


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